Salt Lake City mulls streetcar addition
Written by Douglas John BowenSalt Lake City officials say they'll seek federal funding, adding it to their own, to expand the city's initial Sugar House streetcar line south of downtown.
The move comes as critics cite lagging ridership on the Sugar House (or “S”) Line, even as real estate interests credit the two-mile starter line with accelerated development and business. Supporters say an extension will aid ridership. The S Line links with TRAX light rail transit at Central Station; both the streetcar and LRT are run by Utah Transit Authority (UTA).
The City Council is scheduled to vote on providing $3 million in local matching funds Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, in order to obtain a federal Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant of $10.6 million, according to local media.
Salt Lake City should know as early as month’s end whether it will be selected as TIGER grant recipient, according to City Hall spokesman Art Raymond.
Should Salt Lake City be selected, streetcar line construction could begin in the fall of 2015, but TIGER applications requests, both in number and in dollar value, have far outstripped the federal “supply” in the past five years.
